Disappearing bed.



G. S. WELCH.

DISA'PPEARING BED.

APPLICATION FILED MMI. 11.1914. l-,236,515 Patented Aug. 14, 1917. 2IsHEET-s`-sIIEEr I.

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G. S. WELCH. DISAPPEARING BED. APPLICATION men MAR, 11. 1914.

1 ,236 l 5. l y Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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GEORGE S. WELCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DISAPPEA'RING BED.

Specicationrof Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917..

Application filed March 11, 1914. Serial No. 823,882.

To all wlwm it may concern: K

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. WELCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Disappearing Beds, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying d rawings, forming a part of this specication.

My invention relates to -disappearing beds and has for its object the provision of an improved structure to accommodate a bed or other device which it is desired to have available when needed but out of view when not needed.

In the present application I set forth specifically a bed which may be suitably mounted on a swinging structure. This swinging structure may be a door, but is more desirably a supplemental framework parallel with a door. This supplemental framework is desirably swung about substantially the same axis as the door, but has its own hinges or pivotal mountings so that the door itself need not accommodate the weight of the bed or other article, thus to prevent warping of the door, and also to prevent undue strain upon the door hinges.

My invention contemplates further that the structure which supports the disappearing bed or other article, permits its ready removal therefrom when at or near its position of use, means being provided to retain the catch devices in such condition that they readily receive the bed when it is to be ref turned. Means are also provided on the support to assist in restoring the bed to its disappearing position after it is initially placed back upon the structure.

My invention further contemplates a bed structure of such a character that it is readily collapsible so that it may be transformed from a single bed to a double bed, or vice versa. In this way a double bed can be readily arranged to be of the disappearing type as it only requires the width of an ordinary door to accommodate the collapsed double bed.

I will explain one form which my invention may take as applied particularly to beds by referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 shows my improved bed structure in position to be removed from its mounting;

Fig. 2 shows a detail of the auxiliary bed supporting framework;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top view of the collapsed bed;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the bed in its expanded condition;

Fig. 5 is a detail front view of the bed receiving mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a detail side view of the bed receiving mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of that portion of the bed which cooperates with the receiving mechanism, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 with the bed in its disappearing position.

In the preferred form of my invention the door jamb 1 is provided with hinges 2, 2 to support a door 8. An auxiliary framework consisting of the vertical strips 4, 5 and the horizontal strips 6 and 7 is of a rigid character, being constructed preferably of metal, and is mounted on the door jamb by means of the additional hinges 8 and 9. The auxiliary framework is the one which carries the bed 10 when it is in its disappearing position, and it will be seen that the door is thus relieved of the weight of the bed. Furthermore, the framework can be separately and independently swung on its pivot so that the structure may be used in a recess of a wall if desired, instead of within the confines of a door jamb. The vertical strips 4 and 5 have lower extending curved arms 10 and 11 respectively and forwardly extending arms 12 and 13 respectively. Each arm 12 is provided with a channel strip 13a pivoted thereto and adapted to receive a projection 14 rigidly secured to each of the side members 15 and 16 of the bed structure.

Now, whenever the bed in its collapsed form, as shown in Fig. 3, is in the position shown in Fig. l,then this entire bed can be slid in the direction of the arrow (Fig l) and thus removed from its auxiliary supporting framework. The bed as thus removed is in a collapsed form as shown in Fig. 3, being of the ordinary single bed size.

This bed structure can be extended by moving the sides 15 and 16 away from each other into the position shown in Fig. 4 to be the double bed size. In order to accomplish this result the sides 15 are provided with end tubes 17 adapted to telescope with rods 18 mounted at the extremities of the side arms 16. Cross braces 19 and 20 asso,

ciated with the legs 21 and 22 respectively similarly permit of extension and retraction. The tubes 17 are likewise provided with collars 23 having downwardly extending ears 24 adapted to pivotally support auxiliary legs 25 which are pivotally associated with the links 26. The links are pivotally mounted upon ears 27 carried by the side 16.

)Vhen the bed is in a collapsed form the foot 25 .rests against and under the tube 17 and the links 26 are also moved upwardly from the position they occupy in Fig. 4, thus to present a collapsed bed and also to provide additional supporting mechanism (the feet 25) when the bed is used as a double bed. Chains 2S regulate the proper distribution of the resilient elements when the bed is extended. Longitudinally extending supporting strips 29 are provided which are mounted by means of springs 30 upon the tubes 17, and additional strips 31 are mounted by means of springs 32 and Ytwo slidable collars 33 mounted upon the rods 18.

In this way the mattress supporting spring portion of the bed is also collapsible. The legs 21 and 22 are pivotally secured to the side frames 15 and 16 and when the bed is to be placed in its housed position these legs are swung about their pivots 34 to rest against the lower side of their respective side frames. Oflsets 35 are provided to limit the outwardymovement of these legs when the bed is to be placed in use. Spring catches 36 secured at one extremity to the uprights 4 and 5 have fingers `37 adapted to engage extensions 38 provided upon the channel members 13a. Springs 39 tend to maintain these channel members in a vertical position. Y

Now whenever the bed is moved away from the position shown in Fig. l, then the projections 14 permit a forward movement of the fingers 37, thereby to engage the projections 38 and to thus hold the channel members 13a in a horizontalposition ready to receive the bed when it is pushed back into position. When the bed is restored to the position of Fig. 1, the legs 21 and 22 are firstcollapsed, whereupon the bed is moved to the left (Fig. 1), further to push the spring fingers 37 away from the projections 38, whereupon-the springs 39 assist (Fig. 1) in rotating the bed 10- contra-clockwise to its vertical position. As the bed is moving into this position, the bed still slides further along the channel members 13, the extensions 14 engaging the curved extremities 10 and 11, thus permitting the bed to be lowered slightly in moving along this camshaped surface of these curved arms so that the upper extremity of the bed will come under the spring catch 40, which thereupon holds the'bed in position.

From what has been described the nature of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art and-,it will also be clear that many modifications and-departures may be made from this specific disclosure herein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having however thus described one form which my invention may take, what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a door casing, an auxiliary swinging framework pivoted to said casing and adapted to swing about a vertical axis, a bed carried by said framework, and a door adapted to close the opening within said `casing carried by said casing and adapted to swing about an axis substantially coincident with the axis about which said framework swings, whereby said bed, door and framework can be brought into close compact "relation when said bed is folded and said door and framework can be brought into close compact relationship when the bed Vis removed therefrom.

2. A device 0f the character described compiising a door casing, an auxiliary swinging framework carried by said casing and adapted to swing about a vertical axis, a bed pivotally and detachably carried by said framework, a door adapted to close the opening within saidcasing pivotally carried by said casing and adapted to swing about an axis substantially coincident with the axis about which said framework swings, and means for pivotally associating said swinging framework with said casing whereby said framework may be swung into parallelism with said door when said door is in its closed position, and into parallelism with said door when said door is in its open position substantially 180 degrees displaced from its closed position, whereby said bed, door and framework can be brought into close compact relation when said bed is folded and said door and framework can be brought into close compact relationship when the bed is removed therefrom.v Y Y 3. A device of the character described comprising a door casing, an auxiliary swinging framework carried by said casing and adapted to swing about a vertical axis, a bed carried by said framework, a door adapted to close the opening within said casing carried by said casing and adapted t0 swing about an axis substantially coincident with the axis about which said framework swings, and means for pivotally associating said swingingV framework withV said casing whereby said framework may be swung into parallelism with said door when said door is in its closed position and intov parallelism with said door when said door is in its open position substantially 180 degrees displaced from its closed position, whereby said bed, door frameWOrk Gall be brought iso close compact relation when said bed is folded and said door and framework can be brought into close compact relationship when the bed is removed therefrom.

4. A device of the character described comprising a door casing, an auxiliary swinging framework pivoted to said casing and adapted to swing about a vertical axisa bed pivotally and detachably carried by said framework, a door adapted to close the opening within said casing pivotally carried by said casing and adapted to swing about an axis substantially coincident with the axis about which said framework swings, and means for pivotally associating said swinging framework with said casing whereby said framework may be swung into parallelism with said door when said door is in its closed position, and into parallelism with said door when said door is in its open position substantially 180 degrees displaced from its closed position, said means including free Y extending hinge elements, whereby said bed,

door and framework can be brought into close compact relation when said bed is folded and said door and framework can be brought into close compact relationship when the bed is removed therefrom.

5. A device of the character describedv comprising a door casing, an auxiliary swinging framework carried by said casing and adapted to swing about a Vertical axis, a bed carried by said framework, a door adapted to close the opening within said casing carried by said casing and adapted to swing about an axis substantially coincident with the axis about which said framework swings, and means for pivotally associating said swinging framework with said casing whereby said framework may be swung into parallelism with said door when Said door is in its closed position and into parallelism with said door when said door is in its open position substantially 180 degrees displaced from its closed position, said means including free extending hinge elements, whereby said bed, door and framework can be brought into close compact relation when said bed is folded and said door and framework can be brought into close compact relationship when the bed is removed therefrom.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of March, A. D., 1914.

GEORGE S. WELCH.

Witnesses:

HAZEL ANN JONES, A. LYDA JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, 2D. G. 

